She’s black, she’s white and now she’s bi. The unusual case of former NAACP leader Rachel Dolezal took an interesting turn yesterday during her interview with Savannah Guthrie on NBC Nightly News when she revealed she has dated both men and women.
Dolezal, who has been embroiled in a race scandal that sent the Internet into overdrive this past weekend, finally broke her silence, and in the process, threw enough curve balls to give viewers a severe case of whiplash. Allegations of physical abuse, along with speculation that Larry and Ruthanne Dolezal might not even be her biological parents were just the tip of the iceberg. She also uses spray-on bronzer to achieve her darker completion, and she is “definitely not white.” Dolezal firmly believes she has never lied about her race; however, she does admit to “moments of some level of creative non-fiction.”
Okaaayyyy…
The big jaw-dropper about her identifying as the “B” in the LGBT came when Dolezal was discussing Caitlyn Jenner’s cover story in the current issue of Vanity Fair. Dolezal said she cried upon reading the piece. She went on to say:
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“I resonated with some of the themes of isolation, of being misunderstood — to not know if you have a conversation with somebody, will that relationship then end because they have seen you as one way. And even in dating relationships…one of the things…you know… and I’m bisexual, and so, you know, I’ve dated men and women. And I will intentionally ask, like, ‘So do you just date light-skinned women? What’s your spectrum?'”
Thankfully, Dolezal avoided agreeing with the comparisons she has received from many ill-informed people who feel her situation is similar to that of a transgender person. People magazine reached out to a psychologist and racial identity expert who stated that being transracial is very different from being transgender.
Derald Wing Sue, a professor of psychology and education at Teacher’s College, Columbia University, explained to the publication:
“Most people who are transgender, [when they are] as early as 4 or 5, believe already that at some level that they are a child born with the wrong anatomy. I don’t see this [with Dolezal].”
“I think [the comparison] is all an attempt to not really see the issue. The issue is deception, honesty and pretense. You have to get to the bottom of that.”
So Rachel Dolezal is still not willing to say definitively whether she is black or white, but she is bisexual.
At least she finally identifies as something.
Dennis C. McGrath
And … she has three bums.
Justin L Llanas
Arcamenel
She’s white. There is no such thing as transracial. She can take off the fake tan, straighten her hair and enjoy all the advantages that come with being a white woman in Amerikkka. She’s a fraud and I don’t care what her sexuality is. She needs to just go far far FAR away. She’s treated identifying as black like it’s some kind of quirky social experiment while actual black women are being raped, harassed and killed by law enforcement.
Ryan Friesner
She needs to go away already…
Horse Lips
This woman has some serious mental issues.
Rich Brammeier
She just begging for LGBT supporters.
Curty
She’s mental and delusional but her lies finally caught up to her. And arcammel like white women or other women don’t go through the same thing? Smh. Just hush up sometimes some of yall make racial statements that you have no idea about.
Kelley Schreur-Kulp
I swear this girl has crazy written all over her
Rich Hartley
she just wants her 15 minutes of fame. who really cares if she is bi, gay, straight, black or white. just go away.
Lynne Schreur
WTF is up with her…
Pistolo
I think this is just a case of a person bored with their own privilege. I don’t believe she’s actually bi. Isn’t it interesting how usually the privileged people who were born with inherent acceptance are always looking to convolute things, split hairs, argue about fluidity?
Jake Riley
Ken VanArsdale
She’s crazier than I thought.
Stephen Benoit Talbott
I am so over this woman already!!!
John Wadsworth
Caitlyn Jenner is trans, not bi.
aliengod
I don’t understand all the controversy. Only weeks ago we had Bruce Jenner, a man, go on national television to say that he’d now like to be considered a woman. The media loved it and declared him a hero. This white woman says she’s black and the media is horrified. We can completely disregard biology and DNA with gender but not race. Seems crazy to me.
George Scherer
That weave tho, lmao
darian
It has already been a weird day and it’s getting weirder. I actually agree with@aliengod: On this one. I don’t find her offensive at all. I look at her actions and none of them seem insincere to me.
April Boucher
Aren’t her 15 minutes up yet..
Bob LaBlah
Apparently it is not taught at Howard University that two lions do not mate and end up with an alligator. I don’t think she quite gets it. When I first heard about his I laughed until I saw her on the news and how evasive she got when asked to explain. I don’t feel pity. I just say “you got caught, bitch, now move on”.
Bob LaBlah
@aliengod: @darian: She’s not crazy and the more I think about it this might be a WELL planned cynical plot by her to get even, and heres why; while a student she filed a discrimination suit against Howard University accusing them of denying her something because she is white. She lost. Now here she comes, a graduate of Howard, a NAACP local president with an outstanding job performance rating, good relations with the community and all the other blah,blah,blah that comes with it and the only thing they (the NAACP) can come up with is “that notwithstanding, we didn’t know she was white”. Girl might get paid to shut the fuck up and go on about her business instead of a trial which the NAACP would have to explain any other reason for letting her go.
She aint stupid and I think she is just a hateful ol’ hoe, deep down. She is going to be “paid” by the time this is all over. That is NOT going to look good if the NAACP says on the witness stand “we only hire blacks for those positions”. Bingo. That is ALL her attorneys need them to say/admit. Admission to reverse discrimination. Folks, this is one cynical bitch you are looking at here.
Daniel Alvarado
crazy nut cant compare to jenner at all this fake black woman is a loser acccept the fact your white you cant change that at all
Desert Boy
I’m sure Phil Griffin will give Rachel Dolezal her own MSNBC TV show. It will follow Melissa Harris-Perry. Rachel Dolezal’s show will be called “Fifty Shades of Black”.
Masc Pride
@Rich Brammeier: And she should have LGBT support, especially from the trans community. She feels she is in the wrong body, just like TS Catelyn.
Clark35
@aliengod: Exactly.
Paul Hilton
Andrew Coops, she’s just the gift that keeps on giving.
inbama
Bisexual?
Well, now the whole thing makes perfect sense.
Kelli Barnes Dubay
Please make this go away.
Masc Pride
@Daniel Alvarado: Is Bruce Jenner a crazy nut that can’t accept the fact that he’s a man and can’t change that at all? Doesn’t sound very tolerant, sir! #Transr@cialLivesMatter
Will L
Oh, great. A nut bar who’s now trying to drag us into her insanity. Make her go away!
Craig Marker
Figures …
DarkZephyr
If you look at pictures of her mother its beyond clear that this is her biological mother.
Barb Kipper
I guess by all of my own common sense signals…I am thinking she has needed to find herself and it is too bad no one has helped her. Good luck for her to get it together in the best ways she can find.
Dawn Masino
No. Just no.
inbama
@Will L:
We’re referring to indivdual people as “they,” and you think SHE’s crazy?
Jess Collins
Who the hell she think she is
Shes so stupid
Ditamo
From what I understand, she feels like she is black, and from what some people that have interviewed her have said, most feel like she is being genuine in that sentiment. I don’t see any machiavellian motives, since none of the positions she held were positions that were based in compensation, they were all volunteer work, the only payed job she had was her position as a teacher. She seems like a good and caring person, other than all the volunteer work, she adopted her adopted brother which was in a bad environment under their parents roof, with allegations of abuse. So I don’t know. I just think you hateful people should just go get a life and maybe instead of bitching in chat about someone you don’t even know, you should follow her example and actually do something to help solve societal issues, which, black or not, she was doing!
You would think gay people would be a bit less judgmental? >_>
Tony VanderHeyden
This story just keeps getting stupider.
Matthew Sirvent
Oh boy
Raphael
not today satan
jason smeds
Bisexual? I thought she was bipolar.
Kieran
How long before she reveals she’s a survivor of Auschwitz?
Sluggo2007
This imbecile is a perfect example of someone who didn’t get enough attention as a child.
Carl McClanahan
Go away you stupid bit*h
avesraggiana
NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER.
Curty
She needs mental health help. She has abandoned her real heritage, denying her birth parents. Lie to get a scholarship, lie about who her father is. This is a bad message. Especially to glb people. In this age of being honest and open and out this woman is complete opposite. She has lied her way on life. She’s delusional. She is ashamed of her European heritage. I don’t care who you are. Be proud of who you are. Your genetic makeup. Im biracial, tri actual. African, european and native mix. I acknowledge them all. Why because I accept myself. I accept my parents and my ancestors. I accept my greatgrandfather coming from Scotland to become a prominent doctor in the midwest. I accept my mom’s family who were slaves from maryland and Virginia back in the day. I accept my native american greatgrandmother, the historical meaning of that. Moral here be proud of who you are. She may identify as “black” but she isn’t. She has lied and changed her hair and darkened her skin. She did a Michael Jackson in reverse! This is not good. And a bad message of self acceptance.
Cam
She has a pathological need to identify herself as a victim it seems.
Ralph Vendegna
I am getting tired of seeing her face plastered all over facebook.
DCFarmboi
She and Jenner deserve each other.
James Jackson
Maybe she’s not as good at her jobs as she is pretending. http://www.inlander.com/Bloglander/archives/2015/06/17/report-rachel-dolezal-and-other-ombudsman-commissioner-abused-their-authority
George Jesse Brooks Jr
This bitch needs to lay off the weed
Roger Honeycutt
Stop reporting on this fool. She has no identity of her own so she has to.take on another’s.
Nelson Kaiowá
She obviously needs a lot of attention and a psychiatrist to help her find out why.
James Kelley
Excuse me, I am Rachel Dolezal, I am a trans-person person, and all you haters can kiss my white trans-racial black ass…
James Kelley
What? Who am I? I don’t understand that question…
James Kelley
Does no one care that Kim is now pregnant with Mid West?? O.M.G. I’m gonna kill myself..
Blackceo
I actually wasn’t even that mad at this woman at first. I just wanted to know the pathology over why she did what she did. Why did she need to lie about who she is. You don’t have to be Black to be a member or hold position at the NAACP so why do it? Ok maybe she connected more to Black culture but to go to the lengths with the hair and the whole sordid lie just undermined good work she actually did. The whole thing is just bizarre. I been giving her side eye since this story broke and now I have a fresh shipment of it now dragging this bisexual mess in it. In addition, she sure wasn’t claiming Black when she sued historically Black Howard University for discrimination.
The other interesting issue is the fact that she gave up her white privilege to pass as a Black woman. Although being light skinned she did enter into a different sort of privilege but that’s a topic Im sure only a few in here understand. It’s just such a bizarre story and we don’t want her so she can go back.
Clark35
@Blackceo: Exactly. I find it odd that she’s just now identifying as bisexual when since she was in a public position of power she would have came out a long time ago.
Nick Marcy
I feel like 2 weeks ago no one knew or cared who Rachel dolezal was, now everyone knows but no one still cares… Except for the fact she blacks up which is quite clearly odd.
Arcamenel
@Curty: All women may endure institutionalized sexism but the sexism that women of color also endure institutional racism, something white women and white people in general don’t experience. You can’t cast a broad brush on all women and claim they face the same things when women of color are treated less than white women. Disabled women are treated differently from able-bodied women, queer women are treated differently than heterosexual women. This is systemically of course but often socially as well.
Cam
@Blackceo:
Did she REALLY give up her privilege? In the world she was living in, that privilege probably wasn’t as immediate as the privilege of being a light skinned blue eyed black woman heading up an organization for civil rights in a very liberal city in a very liberal area of the country. Just a thought.
Oh, and it turns out, that art that she was supposedly so good at was plagiarized as well.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/15/rachel-dolezal-art_n_7586972.html
James Duckworth
Bauhaus
@Cam:
Does it boil down to Dolezal, the red-headed stepchild?
LadyL
I guess I’m in the minority here–no pun intended–but I feel sorry for her.
She seems like a very lost person desperate for an identity that will bring her a sense of acceptance and community. We don’t know what her childhood was like and that probably holds the key to the mystery of her dysfunction. Why hate on her? The only person she’s truly hurting with all the self-deception is herself.
Blackceo
@Cam:
That’s what I said about her entering a different kind of privilege given the colorism issues in the Black community.
blackberry finn
@aliengod: Gender dysphoria is not a choice. To act on your feelings and your psychology (and yes, probably biology, as gender dysphoria has a chemical basis) in the face of social discrimination takes courage. On the other hand, there is no such thing as an “innate” racial dysphoria, and even if one develops in the future, it still would not apply to Donezal because she is not black, not biracial. She used her ability to “pass” to get a scholarship at a black college, and misled people in order to build a career. There’s the difference.
Tobi
Isn’t this straight out of one of Amistead Maupin’s tales?!
Michael1500
OK, this crazy bitch simply craves attention, and will obviously say or do anything to get it. As one last attention-getter, she needs to be shot out of a circus cannon into the Gulf of Mexico. If rescued, she can claim she’s Latin, and is the real president of Mexico.
denvermtnbiker
The shade being thrown at this woman is not ok. One psychologist doesn’t get to say being transgender and transracial are totally different and have it accepted as the norm. Bruce Jenner was physically female and it’s nobody’s business asking how much of that has changed beyond appearances. Yet we’re ok with him identifying as a woman, and we don’t feel the need to make him defend WHY he’s justified in identifying that way. Why is race so different than gender? And why do we have loads of judgment for her and nothing but praise for him? Logically, and from a human perspective, it’s not so different that we have any business as a community hating on her.